Congressman Ted Lieu sought attention for his point of view about guns. His critics let him have it.
Monday evening, Lieu walked out of the House of Representatives as colleagues held a moment of silence for victims of the shootings Sunday at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, and then posted a video on social media to explain his action, saying he “will not be silent” and calling for gun-safety legislation.
Why I walked out of yet another moment of silence on the House floor for a gun massacre. We cannot remain silent. https://t.co/F4j4sCsOFw
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) November 7, 2017
Many Twitter followers of Lieu, a Democrat with a district office in Manhattan Beach, applauded him. But many others blasted him.
They included Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee.
What a disgrace.
This Rep. should be ashamed of himself. You're a member of Congress, for crying out loud. https://t.co/1NMTFo1Bc4
— Sarah Palin (@SarahPalinUSA) November 7, 2017
Lieu, a second-term House member known for his jabs at President Trump on Twitter, responded to Palin’s tweet — with a reference to Palin’s resignation after less than three years as governor.
Dear @SarahPalinUSA: Feel free to call me names because I'm cool like that. But I will keep fighting for gun safety. Unlike you I don't quit https://t.co/aUral2ohJz
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) November 7, 2017
Lieu drew insults and praise from lots of Twitter users, including these:
https://twitter.com/BANtheFedoraHat/status/928025946543853568
Ted Lieu for president!https://t.co/rM1Z0UvHOI
— Chelsea E. (@LucyStoneStand) November 7, 2017
I can't stand @tedlieu & his completely inappropriate grandstanding for attention. Sorry he represents Ca. https://t.co/PEfeYS9iWn
— Alana Stewart (@AlanaKStewart) November 7, 2017
Amazing that a peaceful action like walking out or taking a knee is a disgrace to certain people. But killing innocent children is not.
— ssampson_WHITE SUPREMACY IS TERRORISM (@ssampson0717) November 7, 2017
Lieu’s video elaborated on his decision to walk out: “I’ve been to too many moments of silences [sic]. In just my short career in Congress, three of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history have occurred. I will not be silent. What we need is, we need action. We need to pass gun safety legislation now.”
Lieu said he urged Congress to pass “reasonable gun safety legislation,” including a universal background check on would-be gun buyers, a “ban on assault rifles,” and a ban on bump stocks — the device used by the Las Vegas mass shooter to boost the rate of fire of semi-automatic weapons.
